Books About Books:
8 Children’s Stories That Celebrate the Joy of Reading
by Denise Schipani
All children’s books are de facto celebrations of the joy of reading, right? Without words lovingly arranged in careful order on pages and pictures giving those delightful words life, books wouldn’t exist. But some books zero in more finely, and with much more open-hearted feeling, on the pure joy of reading. The picture books gathered here are just the tip of the iceberg (or the edge of the bookshelf?) for parents who want to plant and nurture the love of reading in their children.
-
Love You, Hug You, Read to You!
Available from:Loving, hugging, reading: Add in feeding and bathing and you essentially have basic infant care covered! That promise — that as a parent you’ll always love, always hug, always read to your child — is also the premise of this sweet and simple book. Rabe adds an interactive element, with prompts for parents to engage with their little lap-sitting listeners.
Also available from: -
Bunny’s Book Club
Available from:Bunny loves reading so much that she inches close to the library’s summer outdoor reading club to hear the stories with her own rabbit ears. She’s delighted to “nibble” on the fringes … until cooler weather brings the group inside the library’s walls. Missing the stories, Bunny devises a plan to sneak into the building at night with her animal friends to create their own book club. Sometimes reading is just that compelling. Warning: Though the animals get into the library through the after-hours book drop, do not let your child attempt the same.
Also available from: -
Miss Brooks Loves Books! (And I Don't)
Available from:Book-loving Miss Brooks uses everything from character costumes to dances to make reading a fun experience for the school children. She knows that very reluctant reader Missy could love books too — she just hasn't found the right one yet! Kids will giggle at Missy's grumbles until a story about warts and ogres finally wins her over. A funny and fantastic ode to the joys of reading and finding that just-right book.
Also available from: -
Library Girl
Available from:This beautiful biographical picture book pays tribute to the famous librarian, Nancy Pearl. Nancy was a shy young girl who preferred reading over recess. One day she discovers the public library, and a world of imagination and adventure opens up for her. As Nancy grew older, two compassionate librarians helped her find confidence in herself and set her on the path to becoming a celebrated librarian.
Also available from: -
Froggy Goes to the Library
Available from:Oh, Froggy. No matter how often his parents admonish him to be on his best behavior, he tends to barrel through his day with maximum clamor in book after book of this series. It's no different when he heads to the library, pushing a wheelbarrow in anticipation of the great volume of books he’ll borrow. Froggy has significant trouble keeping his own volume low enough at the library, but his book-loving heart is in the right place.
Also available from: -
The Not So Quiet Library
Available from:Who says libraries are always chilled-out places? Sometimes things get interesting among the stacks and shelves. Saturday is Oskar and Teddy’s favorite day, because they get to have donuts for breakfast and then hit the library with their dad. But on one memorable weekend, a hungry monster disrupts their quiet reading time. A monster?! Will they ever enjoy their donuts and pages in peace again?
Also available from: -
Wild About Books
Available from:It all started when a librarian drove her bookmobile to the zoo — before long, as Sierra recounts in engaging rhyme, all the animals crowd around and learn about books that tickle their fancies. Yes, soon they’re stampeding to learn about “this new something called reading.” Between Brown’s paintings and Sierra’s Seussian poetry, this is destined to for a spot on your reading-time repeat list.
Also available from: -
Look!
Available from:What do you get when you put a gorilla who craves attention and a boy who can’t tear his eyes off the television screen in the same book? You get some pretty hilarious attempts on the part of the gorilla to separate the boy from the screen. Look out … because your kids won’t know what hit them.
Also available from:
